Why the Soviet Union Collapsed

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the simplest explanation for the collapse of the Soviet Union is that the system was not sufficiently stable to withhold both its own needs and the demands of an arms race. It looks at how the Soviet Union found itself attempting to produce at a very high level in order to compete with America's military output and how the demands of the Cold War itself destroyed the Soviet Union.

From the Paper:

"Of course, it may appear that the fall of the Communist ideal was due in large part to a change in the nature of counter-culture and communication. In the pre-Revolutionary days, intellectuals and the discontented who sought change, sought it in communism. After the revolution, change did not come quickly enough - because the nation was immediately plunged into war (which requires overproduction!) and international turmoil. When the next generation of intellectuals and the discontented was made manifest, it opposed communism - because intellectuals generally are capable of seeing the flaws in a system, and no total system appreciates having its flaws pointed out. Communication technology made such a difference in the fall of the Soviet Union because it allowed those who were discontented to express that and work together. "

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